Category: Poland

Greenberg Traurig has advised the Polsat Plus Group on its PLN 2.67 billion issuance of sustainability-linked bonds according to the ICMA standard. Baker McKenzie advised the banks.

Trigon Dom Maklerski was the arranger and the banking consortium involved included BNP Paribas Bank Polska, Bank Pekao, Santander Bank Polska, and PKO BP.

The Polsat Plus Group is a media and telecommunications company. Companies from the group provide a total of over 20 million active service contracts.

According to Greenberg Traurig, “this is the largest issuance of corporate bonds denominated in Polish zloty by a private company with a value of PLN 2.67 billion. The issued bonds will support the Group’s implementation of Strategy 2023+, in particular the planned construction of 1,000 megawatts of installed capacity of low and zero-carbon clean electricity generation and the full value chain of the green hydrogen economy, resulting in the reduction of carbon dioxide in the Polish economy in the range of two million tons per year. The Polsat Plus Group has also committed to bondholders to successively migrate to zero-emission sources of electricity used for own internal purposes.”

Greenberg Traurig’s team included Partner Daniel Kaczorowski, Local Partner Paulina Kimla-Kaczorowska, and Associates Katarzyna Goljan, Michal Kuratowski, Lukasz Chmura, and Grzegorz Socha.

Baker McKenzie’s team included Partner Michal Glowacki, Associate Bartosz Ordon, and Lawyer Kajetan Huruk.

Former Senior Associate Sebastian Janicki has been promoted to Partner at Penteris.

Specializing in real estate and construction, Janicki has been with the firm since 2020, having joined as a Senior Associate. Between 2015 and 2019, he was an Associate with Magnusson. Earlier still, Janicki was an Associate with Solivan Miszkurka Adwokaci i Radcy Prawni Spolka Partnerska from 2012 to 2015. He was also an Associate Lawyer with Grohman & Pisarek, from 2009 to 2012, and with KPMG Law in 2009. In 2008, he was a Lawyer at GFKK.

“I am so happy to have been given this opportunity to build my practice and continue to work with the great team here at Penteris,” Janicki commented. “Onwards and upwards!”

DLA Piper has advised the shareholders of OptiBuy on its sale to the WNS group. Schoenherr reportedly advised WNS on the deal.

OptiBuy is an international consultancy specializing in procurement management.

WNS is a Mumbai-based business process management company.

DLA Piper’s team included Counsel Piotr Miller and Senior Associate Michal Sowinski.

Editor’s Note: After this article was published, Schoenherr confirmed it had advised WNS Holdings. The firm’s team included Partner Pawel Halwa, Local Partners Barbara Jozwik and Krzysztof Pawlak, Attorneys at Law Krzysztof Lesniak and Daria Rutecka, and Associates Agnieszka Stawiarska, Klaudia Szatan, and Karolina Samocik.

Ten Partners at Kochanski & Partners have been elevated to Equity Partner status in 2022. These are: Pawel Cholewinski, Aleksandra Ryzkowska, Jacek Kozikowski, Andrzej Palys, Wojciech Wrochna, Agata Dziwisz-Moshe, Anna Gwiazda, Michal Konig, Pawel Mardas, and Mateusz Ostrowski.

Cholewinski, Head of the Transactional Practices Group, including Real Estate and M&A, has been with Kochanski & Partners since 2012. Before that, he spent over a year with Weil Gotshal and Manges as an Associate and, earlier still, almost a year as an Associate with Stolarek & Grabalski. He became the Head of the Transactional Practices Group back in August (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on August 8, 2022).

Ryzkowska, Head of International Practice Development and the Chinese Business Desk, has been with the firm since 2021, when she joined as a Senior Associate. In 2020 she worked at Domanski Zakrzewski Palinka as a Junior Associate. Since 2019, Ryzkowska has also spent two years at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in China as an Intern in the Agricultural Department. Between 2016 and 2019, she was a Legal Advisor at Univerpol. She made Partner with Kochanski & Partners back in April (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on April 5, 2022).

Kozikowski, Head of Infrastructure and the Asian Desk, has been with the firm since 2015. He obtained his LLM degree and his Doctorate from Nagoya University. He was promoted to Partner with Kochanski & Partners in 2021 (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on November 4, 2021).

Palys specializes in court disputes, including commercial disputes, debt collection, and aviation law projects. He has been with Kochanski & Partners since 2011 and was promoted to Partner in 2021 (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on April 5, 2021).

Wrochna, Head of Energy, Natural Resources & Chemicals, has been with Kochanski & Partners since December 2016 (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on January 19, 2017) when he joined as a Counsel. Before that, he spent almost five years as a Senior Legal Advisor with PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna. Earlier, he spent five years as Counsel with Grynhoff Wozny i Wspolnicy, and, earlier still, two years as Advisor with the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Poland. He began his career as an Advisor with the European Parliament, where he spent two years between 2005 and 2007.

Dziwisz-Moshe, Head of the Tax Practice, joined Kochanski & Partners in 2017. Prior to that, she spent eight years as an Advocate with GWW.

Gwiazda, Head of the Labor Law practice, has been with the firm since 2005. Prior to that, she spent over two years in solo practice after beginning her career with Chalas Wysocki and Partners in 2001.

Konig, Head of Commercial Disputes, joined Kochanski & Partners in 2015 as an Associate. In 2017, he was promoted to Senior Associate and, in 2019, he made Partner.

Mardas, part of the M&A team, has been with the firm since 2016 when he joined as a Counsel. He made Partner in 2019. Prior to Kochanski & Partners, he spent over seven years with SSW Pragmatic Solutions as a Senior Associate. Before that, he spent a year and a half as an Associate with Grynhoff Wozny i Wspolnicy, between 2007 and 2009. Earlier, Mardas spent a year and a half as a Lawyer with Karniol Malecki i Wspolnicy and, earlier still, over a year with BPH Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych as a Specialist Lawyer. He began his career as a Lawyer with Pawlak Gasior i Partnerzy, where he spent over two years between 2003 and 2005.

Ostrowski, part of the Civil Litigation team, has been with Kochanski & Partners since 2014. Before that, he spent three and a half years as an Assistant Judge with the Warszawa-Zoliborz District Court, between 2007 and 2010 and between 2013 and 2014. Between 2010 and 2012, Ostrowski spent a year as a Lawyer with Jachacy-Bednarek Malarecka and over a year with KA Magdalena Guzewicz, KA Veronica Afewu.

Kochanski & Partners CEO and CFO Monika Wojciechowska, CTO Michal Walczak, and Business Strategy & Development Director Bartosz Pawlowski were also elevated to Equity Partner, alongside the ten lawyers.

White & Case has advised GLP on its acquisition of a logistics center in Bierun from SPM. Crido Legal reportedly advised the seller.

According to the GLP press release, the acquired logistics center has a total area of 60,000 square meters and is situated next to National Road No. 44 with access to Expressway S1.

GLP, formerly Global Logistic Properties, is a Singapore-based investment manager and business builder in logistics, real estate, infrastructure, finance, and related technologies.

SPM Poland is a Polish branch of the Italian company Sistema that specializes in logistics for the automotive industry.

“This transaction elevates GLP’s partnership with SPM to a new level. The company already leases logistics space from GLP in Gliwice, and it is great to see their footprint with us expand further,” GLP Europe Investments and Asset Management Director CEE Marek Jandous commented.

The White & Case team included Partner Maciej Zalewski, Counsel Katarzyna Czwartosz-Liber, and Associates Michal Plich and Jakub Khier.

KWKR Konieczny Wierzbicki and Partners has advised Galinvest on the sale of a Zaczarowane Kolo residential property in Krakow to Aurec Capital company Livup. Greloch Jaworski Stanis Adwokaci advised the buyer.

According to KWKR, the sold property has 74 residential units and is located in Krakow’s Bronowice district. “The building has already received an occupancy permit, and finishing works will start soon,” the firm informed. “The first tenants are expected to move in as early as the second quarter of 2023.”

Galinvest is a real estate developer operating in Krakow. Aurec Capital is a private equity investor.

The Greloch Jaworski Stanis team included Partner Marcin Jaworski and Legal Counsel Marcin Zurawski.

Gessel has advised Enterprise Investors managed Polish Enterprise Fund VIII on its acquisition of a 40% stake in Bisar. DLA Piper reportedly advised the seller.

According to Gessel, Bisar is presently expanding into new markets around CEE. The capital commitment amounts to PLN 125 million.

Enterprise Investors is a private equity firm focused on CEE. Established in 2015, Bisar is a Polish outsourcing company.

The Gessel team was led by Managing Partner Marcin Macieszczak and included Partner Bernadeta Kasztelan-Swietlik, Managing Associates Michal Boryczka and Krzysztof Jasinski, Senior Associate Diana Strzalkowska, and Associate Karolina Olszewska.

Editor’s Note: After this article was published, DLA Piper confirmed it had advised Bisar’s founders on their sale of a 40% stake in the company. The firm’s team included Local Partner Rafal Kluziak, Senior Associate Jakub Szczygiel, Associate Karolina Pichit, and Trainee Natalia Cichocka.

Balicki, Czekanski, Gryglewski, Lewczuk has advised Medicover on its acquisition of Smart Platinium from Verdano. Reportedly, SKJB Szybkowski Kuzma Jelen Brzoza-Ostrowska advised Medicover as well while the seller was advised by Gorazda, Swistun, Watroba.

Smart Platinium operates a chain of 18 fitness clubs in Krakow and the Upper Silesia region under the Fitness Platinium and Smart Gym brands. According to BCGL, “this acquisition strengthened Medicover’s presence in southern Poland and significantly expanded their fitness-club portfolio.”

Verdano is an administration and property renting manager headquartered in Krakow.

BCGL’s team included Partners Jacek Balicki and Bartosz Gryglewski.

Greenberg Traurig has advised Wing Group and Griffin Capital Partners on their joint acquisition of a 60% stake in Bauwert.

According to Greenberg Traurig, the “Wing Group will have a controlling interest in the company. The transaction is expected to close early next year.”

Bauwert is a residential and commercial developer focusing on the Berlin market. Wing is a real estate developer and investor in the Central and Eastern Europe real estate market, with a strong presence in Hungary and Poland. Griffin is a privately-owned investment and asset manager in private equity and real estate in CEE, with a focus on Poland and CEE.

Greenberg Traurig’s team included Warsaw-based Deputy Managing Partner Radomil Charzynski and Head of the Competition Law Practice Robert Gago, as well as further team members in Germany.

Greenberg Traurig did not provide additional details on the deal.

JDP has advised the Laumann Group on its acquisition of Ponzio Polska. Andersen and, reportedly, Pomorski Tax Legal Finance and Rapisardi Intellectual Property advised the Ponizio Group.

According to JDP, “the Laumann Group is one of the largest family-owned German businesses. With Veka AG and Gealan being part of the group, the Laumann Group is a leading expert in PVC profile extrusion for windows and doors, PVC facade solutions, and surface technology with over 6,500 employees that operate in 40 locations on four continents.”

Ponzio Polska is part of the Italian Ponzio Group and employs more than 300 people. According to JDP, “thanks to its technically advanced, diversified products, modern production facilities and reliable logistics center, Ponzio Polska has established itself as a leading supplier of aluminum systems in Poland as well as in many European and non-European countries.”

JDP’s team included Partners Marcin Chomiuk and Maciej Chrzan, Counsels Joanna Ostojska-Kolodziej and Wiktor Rainka, Senior Associates Anna Nowodworska and Barbara Kaczala, and Associates Paulina Kucharska, Daria Gromotka, and Amelia Prawda.

Andersen’s team included Managing Partner Marcin Matyka, Partner Rafal Ciolek, Senior Associate Bartlomiej Wietrzychowski, and Director Konrad Kleszczewski.

Editor’s Note: On May 24, 2023, JDP announced that the transaction had closed successfully.